Palm Coast becoming a runner's paradise

Saturday's race -- the Waterfront 10 Mile-5K Run -- is the first time the city is organizing a race that crosses the Hammock Dunes Bridge.

TONY HOLTSTAFF WRITER

Bob Hamlin wanted Palm Coast to host a couple of summer races to satisfy his appetite for distance running. He and his friend talked it over with the event organizer for the city. He talked it over with officials at the local chamber of commerce. He thought their idea had potential, he just didn't realize how much. They hit the jackpot and made a lot of local running enthusiasts happy. "Palm Coast didn't have any summer races," the 61-year-old Hamlin said, recalling those early meetings in 2010. "Even though it's hot that time of year, we still needed to run and we still needed to race. You don't put out 100 percent (effort) on the track without having races. "We didn't know we had so many runners in Palm Coast." In late 2011, the city began organizing 10 annual races and called it the Palm Coast Running Series. Events are scheduled from October through September. A total of 2,200 people signed up to run one or more of last year's races, said Lisa Gardner, the city's events coordinator. "It's amazing how quickly this has grown," she said. The race scheduled for Saturday -- the Waterfront 10 Mile-5K Run -- is the first time the city is organizing a race that crosses the Hammock Dunes Bridge, she said. "We always try to put a little challenge in there because that's what the runners want," Gardner said of including the bridge as part of the 10-mile course. Runners competing in the 10-mile race will start at Waterfront Park, snake through town, cross the bridge, run along State Road A1A, cross the bridge again and come back into town. The 5K runners will remain on the trail along the Intracoastal Waterway heading north. Saturday's race is expected to draw at least a few hundred runners, Gardner said. Runners who place in their age groups accumulate points. Those with the most cumulative points are honored during an annual award ceremony in September. The concept for a running series was derived from the Daytona Area Grand Prix Series. Those events are mostly handled by one person, said Hamlin. The local series is mostly a team effort, with the city playing a major role. Gardner, for one, eagerly devotes a lot of time to help organize the runs. "This has really been contagious," said Gardner. "It's really been one of my favorite parts to this job." The city has settled on 10 races per year, which is an average of about one every five weeks. Gardner said if more races were added to the schedule, it would make it less likely large numbers of runners would participate in all events. The serious runners want to attend all of the races because they are gunning for the chance to finish first in the points race in their respective age groups. Some are so serious about it they register at the last minute, just so they can see whether their competitors have signed up and for which races. If one runner sees his or her major rival running in the 10-mile race this Saturday, he or she will then sign up for the 5K to better ensure they will earn more points, said Gardner. "It's hysterical to see how competitive they can get," she said. Hamlin said he's happy to have local competitive races for a change. Previously, runners in Flagler County had to travel to Daytona Beach, Jacksonville and Orlando to participate in organized long-distance road runs. "We didn't expect it to go from one race to 10 races," he said. "We thought maybe we could get two or three during the summer ... We were surprised."